Reconstructing complex network for characterizing the time-varying causality evolution behavior of multivariate time series

In order to explore the characteristics of the evolution behavior of the time-varying relationships between multivariate time series, this paper proposes an algorithm to transfer this evolution process to a complex network. We take the causality patterns as nodes and the succeeding sequence relations between patterns as edges. We used four time series as sample data. The results of the analysis reveal some statistical evidences that the causalities between time series is in a dynamic process. It implicates that stationary long-term causalities are not suitable for some special situations. Some short-term causalities that our model recognized can be referenced to the dynamic adjustment of the decisions. The results also show that weighted degree of the nodes obeys power law distribution. This implies that a few types of causality patterns play a major role in the process of the transition and that international crude oil market is statistically significantly not random. The clustering effect appears in the transition process and different clusters have different transition characteristics which provide probability information for predicting the evolution of the causality. The approach presents a potential to analyze multivariate time series and provides important information for investors and decision makers.